Pistachio Herb Falafel

Falafel and I have had a longtime love affair. It's always been a classic festival favorite. You know, when you're enjoying a beautiful day, you need something quick, easy, and filling that wont weigh you down. Falafel is like my ideal meal. Tons of fresh herbs, vegetarian protein, creamy tzatziki if you're feeling frisky. You just can't go wrong. This is a great one that comes to you adapted from Green Kitchen Stories cookbook, Vegetarian Everyday.

I love this with whole wheat pita, plus some more fresh mint and dill, and my Quinoa Tabbouleh.

Pistachio Herb Falafel makes about 20 

parsley, mint, pistachio

• 12 sprigs mint
• 12 sprigs parsley + cilantro (a mixture of the two, or whatever you have)
• 1.5-2 cups shelled pistachios
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 small yellow onion
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, pulse mint, parsley and cilantro. Add the pistachios and pulse again until the mixture is coarse. Add the chickpeas, garlic, onion, olive oil, cumin, flour and baking soda. Process until you have a uniform texture that's still a bit rough.

With clean hands, form falafel into small balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until browned.

Enjoy in pita, on a green salad with pickled vegetables, or alongside quinoa tabbouleh (linked above!)

Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich

It's been an eventful few weeks, settling into beautiful Bellingham.

Riding along the waterfront on the South Bay Trail

Flights and foodies at Bellingham's newest favorite brewery, Aslan.

Stop, drop, and asana. Dhanurasana on a wheel.

I've also had a lot of quality time in the kitchen. Getting strategic with my budget means meal planning. I have some wonderful friends who have been at this whole meal planning thing for some time, that like to impart their knowledge. My mother likes to impart her knowledge of how to stretch a budget. So between the two, I'm making leaps and bounds both with my creativity in the kitchen and in managing my check book.

This recipe was born after having leftover roasted chicken. I had cooked up some polenta, with sauteed mushrooms, I topped with a fried egg and wedge of cream brie.

The next day, I channeled my mom (I can picture her in the kitchen tearing into the remains of a roasted chicken now!) and got down and dirty, tearing all of the meat away, to make this delicious Tarragon Chicken Salad.

Much like, a traditional chicken salad, but with a twist, and cleaned up a little bit. I used a creamy full fat Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise. Fennel takes the place of celery for a crunch, and tarragon for a uniquely fresh taste. I served the sandwiches on toasted Breadfarm bread, with gouda cheese and thinly sliced green apple.

I stuffed this chicken salad into romaine lettuce leaves the next day for lunch. Three meals knocked out of the park this week! BOOM!

I hope you enjoy this alternative salad as much as I did! I love a good new school take on an old school classic. Happy summer days, friends. Soak up this sunshine!

Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches serves 4

fennel, green apple, gouda

•  2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/3 cup fennel bulb, finely diced
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh tarragon
• 2/3 cup full-fat Greek yogurt (I use Greek Gods brand, as it has a rich creamy taste, not sour) 
• zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (1-2 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 slices good whole grain bread
• 1 green apple, thinly sliced
• 4 oz gouda cheese, thinly sliced
• butter or olive oil for toasting bread

 Method

Heat a pan over medium-high heat.

Combine chicken, fennel, red onion, tarragon, Greek yogurt, and mustard in a large bowl. Gently stir to combine fully. Add salt and pepper to taste. Careful not to over-salt, as the taste will improve after the salad has time to rest in the fridge. The cheese also adds saltiness.

Melt a small pat of butter, or drizzle of olive oil into the pan and wirl to fully coat. Place bread in the pan, work in batches, and toast on one side for 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip, and add sliced gouda to one side. While the other side toasts, let gouda melt. 

Remove bread from pan, spoon chicken salad onto the slice of toast without cheese.

 Arrange sliced of green apple over cheese, sandwich both sides together and enjoy!

Shepard's Wheatberry Salad+Balance

There is nothing that I love more than a great rest day. Total relaxation, leisure, and zero urgency.

I don't often have days like this. Usually, I'll find myself with a prioritized list of things I need to get done, projects to catch up on, e-mails to check, etc. But lately, I've been trying this new thing where I give up the guilt of not doing what I think I should be doing- a thought that has no place in reality, by the way- and giving myself permission to take it easy.

There's a time for urgency, and finishing projects with laser-like focus. And there's also a time to rest, reboot, and relax. That's a tough balance to find.

 I teach interval training classes, and in those classes, I see a similar phenomenon play out. People come into the class with the intention of training hard. The come out of the gates sprinting. When periods of recovery are given, they don't take them. Instead they stay in the training zone. However the workout is designed for you to take advantage of the active recovery. What's predictable, if they stay in the zone of heavy work, is a burnout. A burnout on the court of your life could look like a royal meltdown, snapping at someone with words you don't mean, or making rash decisions based in fear and anxiety. Yuck.

It's all avoidable.

I coach my classes to maximize their rest so that they can maximize their next burst of exertion- which in turn maximizes their results.  When we find the balance in our work, we are able to work smarter, not harder. Our periods of rest and solitude help us get the most out of our busy seasons. Find this balance in every single day, and you won't be the hot mess on the other side of a meltdown. You'll be choosing life, as it comes, creating your work and the results you want, without feeling spread thin.

Shepard's Wheatberry Salad serves 4 Adapted from A Family Feast

sheep feta, currants, orange citronette

• 1 cup wheatberries, rinsed
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, green part only
• 1/3 cup crumbled sheep feta
• 1/4 cup dried currants 
• 1/4 cup raw walnuts
• 2-3 cups mixed greens

 Method

Combine wheatberries with 3 cups salted water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, rinse, and set aside to cool.

For citronette: Whisk orange zest, and juice in a large bowl. While whisking, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Once emulsified, season with sea salt and pepper.

Add cooked wheatberries to the large bowl, toss in citronette. Crumble in sheep feta, currants, and walnuts, tossing to fully combine.

If serving immediately, toss with mixed greens as well. If eating throughout the week, use half the citronette, keep greens separate until serving, then use the remaining citronette to freshen up the salad throughout the week.

This calls for white wine and relaxing on the patio in the sun. Give yourself permission to unwind and rejuvenate.

enjoy!

Spring Cleaning Breakthroughs + Chickpeas

I don't know about you, but when April rolls around, I start to get inspired by the longer days, the breakthroughs of sunshine, and the spirit of spring cleaning. Out with the old, in with what matters.

I just spent a weekend in Seattle at the Baptiste Art of Assisting program. A phenomenal training on hands-on assisting yoga postures, and the second of three courses that I need for my Baptiste Certification. The weekend was about integrity in alignment. Integrity in our yoga practice, in our assisting, and in our lives. What I love about about Baptiste yoga, is the boldly obvious correlation between how we show up on our mats and in our lives. One thing that showed up for me in assisting this weekend was me holding back because I was afraid that I didn't have something to offer that person. What I really got present to, is that, first off, I DO bring value to the table- in all arenas of my life, and that I'm doing my community a disservice my not sharing that. I also really got that my growth happens when I dive in regardless of how comfortable I feel. There's this saying that Baron has,

The question is not, 'will I survive if I step out of my comfort zone?', it's 'will I survive my comfort zone?'

Every time I've been nervous to do something, and did it anyway, I've experienced a breakthrough. A breakthrough in my confidence, in speaking my truth, in my full self expression, in my relationships. The list goes on.

Spring cleaning is about much more than the dark corners of our homes, it's about the dark corners of our lives! What have you been putting off? What's piling up without attention? Where do you want to experience new freedom? What do you need to clean up- are there conversations you need to have?

The turning in the seasons is a great time to check in with yourself. Are you where you want to be? If not, what's lacking? Usually there is a lack of integrity somewhere. For me, lately, there's been a lack of integrity in my own self care. In taking the time to cook healthy meals. I've been using "busy" as an excuse to grab food at the Co Op for a quick fix. What I really needed to address though, is that I'm not taking the time to care for myself in one of the most basic ways- nourishment. I want to share with you today, a recipe that I'm coming back to for a quick, easily packable, nourishing meal. I present to you, Chickpeas & Greens!

This recipe was adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day. And what a gem this recipe is. I like to soak chickpeas on the weekend, then cook them the next day so I have a fresh batch for various salads of recipes throughout the week. This recipe requires cooked chickpeas, I recommend soaking your own- in such a simple recipe, the quality of ingredients really takes precedence- but canned also work.

Chickpeas & Greens serves 4

lemon zest, red chili flakes, olive oil

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8-1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes
• 3 large handfuls spinach, kale, chard, or another green of your choice
•  2 cups cooked chickpeas
• zest of 1 lemon
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine olive oil, garlic, and chili in a cold frying pan. Turn the heat up to medium and let the garlic and chili begin to sizzle and infuse the olive oil. Saute until just golden, careful not to burn the garlic.

Add greens, saute and turn until slightly reduced, and bright green. Remove the pan from heat, add chickpeas and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.


This salad keeps great in the fridge for a couple days. I love to serve in over quinoa, or stuffed into an Ezekial tortilla for a tasty wrap.

enjoy!

Green Split Peas & Cilantro Pesto Over Greens

I've been so excited to hear what everyone is up to and off to do in their New Year! There's something about this wiping the slate clean, though we could technically do so any time of the year, that gives our intentions and resolutions sticking power.

One thing that I'm cultivating in 2014 is an 80/20 rule in eating. Normally I'm not the kind of person who's a proponent of rules, especially when it comes to your food. But this rule is adaptable. 80 percent of the time, you eat clean, whole foods. That 20 percent is where you get to indulge.

So what defines a whole food?

A whole food is a food in its most natural form. You can grow it, you can harvest it. If it comes in a box or container, there are less than seven ingredients, and you can define each and every one of them. These are foods that your great, great grandparents would have been able to find and eat. These are foods that the body knows how to break down for energy. These are foods that break down with time in the body, like time released energy. They do not spike blood sugar, but rather offer a steady flow of energy.

What counts?

A great rule of thumb is to shop the perimeter of your grocery store, and your local farmer's market. This includes all fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, whole grains-- such as barley, cracked wheat, pseudocereals such as millet and quinoa. I also include rolled oats, but not instant oats. The more a grain is processed (as in the case of instant oats) the quicker it will hit your blood sugar and cause it to spike, and then consequently fall later. We're aiming for a middle of the road, constant flow of energy taken in. There are also, beans, legumes, olives, nuts, all-natural nut butters, eggs and quality sourced meat and fish.

What kinds of foods fall into the 20%?

This is something you totally have to define for yourself. For different people, indulgence means different things. For me, dairy products such as milk, cream, and cheese are indulgent foods, so they are part of my 20%. Though it depends who you're talking to because one person might argue that you can certainly milk a cow, make butter and make cheese, therefore they are in fact whole foods. TRUE, I just know that for me, and my  body, this is a food that I need to keep in moderation. I also moderate flour and breads, whether I've made them at home from scratch or not. Flour, hits our blood sugar faster than the whole grain. Also, cereal, granola, honey, maple syrup, fruit juice-sweetened jams, and any other natural sweeteners. Going out to eat is another activity that falls into the 20 percent. We love to go out and treat ourselves once in a while. Our intention this year is truly making it a treat, not a habit.

Like I said, the 20 percent of indulgence is something you'll have to look to your eating habits and say, ok what do I like, where can I compromise? This is a rule that works because it is adaptable to your life. One thing that I'll do, is plan my grocery shopping and meals for the week around a 100% whole food plan, then I have room to play and let indulgence step in without worry and anxiety. 

This recipe is a great example of the 80/20 rule. The dish is primarily whole foods, plant based protein from the green split peas, yet still decadent and delicious with the cilantro pesto. This recipe is inspired by one of Heidi Swanson's recipes from her book, Super Natural Every Day. I adapted my parsely pesto recipe and turned it into cilantro pesto, using cilantro, pepitas, coriander and lime.

This salad packs well, green split peas keep sturdy when cooked. If you'll be packing this for lunch, separate greens and split peas until the day you'll be eating them.

Green Split Pea & Cilantro Pesto Salad serves 4-6

cilantro, pepitas, arugula, parmesan

• 1 bunch cilantro, about 2.5 cups packed
• 1/3 cup dry roasted pepitas + 1/4 cup to garnish
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 -1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp sea salt + more to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup dried green split peas, rinsed
• 1 small spaghetti squash, roasted optional
• 2 large handfuls each, spinach and arugula

Method

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add green split peas, simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until tender. Drain and salt to taste. Place in a medium sized mixing bowl to cool.

Add cilantro, 1/3 cup roasted pepitas, parmesan, 1/3 cup olive oil, lime juice, coriander, and 1/4 tsp sea salt into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as necessary. Add more olive oil if needed to create a smooth consistency. Add more salt and black pepper to taste.

Once the split peas have cooled a bit, add pesto and stir to entirely coat the peas.

Divide greens onto 4 serving dishes, shred spaghetti squash on top, add green split pea mixture, and garnish with pepitas. 


enjoy!

Buddha Bowl

Buddha Bowls.

Because I can't exist solely on vegan green tea cookies, ice cream, and veggie pizza. I think this goes without saying but I've had a pretty great couple of days off. I introduced a new friend to the world of Baptiste power vinyasa yoga at Shakti, down in Ballard. Prior to this, there were macchiatos and baked goods at Vivace. Because what fuels you better for yoga than a macchiato and a vegan mint chocolate chip cookie? And after a hot sweaty vinyasa practice, gelato at Fainting Goat seemed appropriate.

The next day, I went out for lunch in La Conner. On the way home I just so happened to drive past Snow Goose Produce, famous for their 'immodest ice cream cones'. Immodest indeed.

A cone from my last trip to Snow Goose last year

For the record, I loved every minute of this weekend. Indulgence is something I learned to give myself in moderation. After my weight loss five years ago, I went through a year or two where I was still very restrictive in the foods I would eat. I ate very strictly clean, every 3 hours. It was what I needed to give myself the peace of mind that I could maintain my new weight. But it was too far for me. It began to drive me crazy, it isolated me; I remember it was my best friend's graduation night and I went out to dinner with her family and our friends and I literally didn't eat a thing because there wasn't anything on the menu that I felt I could eat. I sat and talked with everyone, drinking my water the whole night. By the end of it I started to get a little loopy, 6 hours later without any nourishment.. too much.

A confrontation from a dear friend finally made me see the bigger picture. I was staying in my size 4 jeans, but at what cost? It cost me my happiness, my relationships, I put up walls with people and would say, "they don't understand". I didn't understand, I didn't see that this wasn't a sustainable way of living.

I started slowly adding things back into my diet that I loved. A little goat cheese in my omelette, sprouted whole grain bread, a teaspoon of ghee on my porridge, spelt flour pancakes. My focus was, and remains, to eat whole foods, as close to their natural form as possible. For me, that looks like a mostly plant based diet, though I do eat meat on occasion, dairy, and whole grain breads. It is in this way that I don't have to think too hard about my eating choices. I stay within the loose boundaries of my whole foods diet, and I vary the things that I eat. I'm not having pancakes every day, and I'm also not eating steamed vegetables and lean protein for every meal. Every single day is a balance, as is every week. A balance that takes into account my physical activity, my work schedule (if I'm working crazy hours, sometimes it's easiest to cook up a pot of chickpeas at the beginning of the week and toss them into salads with an assortment of vegetables, avocado, seeds and some kind of homemade dressing--because that's what's fast and nourishing in the moment), and my cravings.

Cravings are an interesting thing. I believe that our cravings are rooted from a deeper need in our body. Say you're craving pizza, perhaps what your body really wants is fast energy, like the quick digesting carbohydrates found in pizza. I think it's important when we have a craving, not to ignore it-- in my experience, that leads to binging-- but rather to get to the root of it and give your body what it truly wants and needs to thrive. Then when you do indulge in something like pizza, you're doing it mindfully, it's not a reckless impulse decision, it's a choice that you make, and you're going to love every minute of it!

This new way of being means that I get to enjoy an evening out and not have to spend 20 minutes figuring out what the 'safest' low-calorie option on the menu is. This means that when my awesome co-worker brings in homemade lemon cupcakes with frosting I can enjoy one with everyone else. What's even cooler, is that this has expanded my culinary appreciation too. My traditional macchiatos are best with whole milk. The house dressing made with creme fraiche truly is out of this world, can I get that recipe?! I have such a deep appreciation for the art of good food, and I love trying new things, whether I know the chef's ingredient list for the special sauce or not!

 Why Buddha Bowl? It's great food like this that keeps me feeling nourished, energized, and fueled for my wildest adventures (like my 200-hr yoga teacher training that starts Sept. 6!!) This is easiest to make if you have leftover quinoa and cooked chickpeas on hand. I personally love and can taste the difference between fresh cooked chickpeas and canned, but in a pinch, feel free to substitute with canned legumes.

There are are four elements in this Buddha Bowl; grilled asparagus, and chickpeas sit atop a bed of quinoa, and are then drizzled with a tahini dressing and toasted seeds. B-b-b-bomb. That's right, complex carbohydrates, complete protein from quinoa and chickpeas, a serving a greens (thanks asparagus) and healthy fats from toasted seeds and tahini. Got all your bases covered with this one!

Buddha Bowl serves 1

quinoa, chickpeas, grilled asparagus, tahini dressing

• 1 Tbsp tahini
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• pinch each chili powder and sea salt
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 Tbsp seeds such as sesame, sunflower, pumpkin or slivered almonds
• 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
• 5 spears asparagus
• 2/3 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
• Optional: additional chili powder for serving

Method

In a small bowl, whisk tahini, water, lemon juice, chili powder, sea salt and honey. Set aside.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add seeds, stirring frequently so as not to burn, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Roughly chop asparagus and add to the pan along with cooking oil. Cook, stirring every once in a while until cooked through and beginning to crisp on the outside. Remove from heat and set aside.

Layer into a bowl, quinoa, chickpeas and asparagus. Drizzle with dressing, top with toasted seeds and additional chili powder.

Enjoy this good mood food! I'd love to hear what foods keep you feeling balanced and energized.

Until next time,

Eat well!

Back in the Pacific Northwest + Kale Coconut Salad

Long time no see!

After a week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a beautiful weekend in Toronto, I flew back home to Seattle last week. I had the intention of taking a few weeks to cool down and readjust to life in the Pacific Northwest but that didn't quite go as planned.

I hit the ground running, started training and teaching again at the Studio, worked a 40 hour week in the world of retail and stretchy pants, bought a car which I've successfully put about a thousand miles on in less than a week. There's been nothing slow about this transition, and oddly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I jumped feet first into all of the things that I want and that I'm committed to having in my life, in the way of great relationships, work, play, how I would ideally choose to spend my time. I'm loving every minute of it, and that's a powerful feeling to come back with.

Spring is, after all, a season of transition, change, beauty, and fun. I've kind of been spring cleaning my life.

From the inside out, mind you! As soon as I got home I had all of this inspiration to recreate recipes that I had been using at Azul Fit. The past week has been filled with trials of new recipes, old mastered and adapted ones. What I have for you today is one of the latter. This Kale Coconut Salad is adapted from Heidi Swanson's cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, which by the way is full of creative vegetarian whole-food dishes. Her original recipe is for a warm salad, in which she roasts the coconut and kale in the oven to toast the coconut and wilt the kale. My favorite way to enjoy this salad is cold, massaging the kale in the marinade, but keeping it raw. It lightens up this rich salad and gives a refreshing contrast to the cooked farro and toasted coconut.

As far as salads go, this is definitely a rich and filling one. Large flakes of coconut pair perfectly with  a blend of sesame oil and tamari. Sturdy kale, served raw makes this feel like a perfect transitional salad from cold winter months to spring. And farro, a grain low in gluten, gives this salad more sustenance as an entree, with more protein and fiber than traditional wheat. Though it can easily be omitted or substituted with wheat berries, spelt berries, or brown rice.

Onto this salad!

Kale Coconut Salad serves 6-8 as a side, 4-6 as an entree

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 bunch of kale (about 3 cups chopped)
1.5 cups unsweetened large-flake coconut
2 cups cooked farro (or another whole grain of your choice)

Method

In a small jar, combine olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and tamari, shake to combine, set aside.

Heat a small pan over medium heat, once hot, add coconut and toast, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning. This will take a few minutes, once done, set aside and allow it to cool.

Remove the large ribs from your kale leaves and roughly chop. Combine in a large mixing bowl with cooked farro. Lightly massage with your hands so that the dressing fully coats the leaves and grain. Fold in toasted coconut, and serve immediately.

note: this salad will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days and the kale will soften, but after that the kale and coconut will get too soft.

For a more substantial meal, add serve with pan seared tofu, or stuff into an Ezekiel tortilla for a hearty wrap. When I make a salad like this, I'll make extra and pack it for lunches in various ways throughout the week. This is a great way to add more green to your life, and feel energized all day.

Enjoy!